G-itard for street oars



( No Model.)

H. A. HOWE. GUARD FOR STREET CARS.

No. 538,873. Patentd May 7, 1895.

In: NORRIS pzrzns 0a.. Fuoroumou WASHINGTON. a. c.

: UNITED TATES HENRY A. HOWVE, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, JOSEPH LIVINGSTON,=AND ALBERT H. GROSS, OF SAME PLACE.

GUARD FOR STREET-CARS.

srnorrroarron forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,873, dated May 7, 1895. Applioation filed October 18, 1894. Serial No. 526,236. (No model.)

- are liable to become set and injured by the leverage and pressure of the guard, and when the front edge of the guard is pressed down so as to be closely adjacent tothe pavement, the edge bar thereof may not always slide freely over the pavement but be injured by coming into contact therewith instead of riding over inequalities in the pavement.

The present invention is made to overcome these difficulties, and consists in the peculiarities of construction and combination hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating my improvement. elevation, partially in section, at the line mm. Fig. 3 is a section in larger size of the bearings for the yielding roller at the end of the guard. Fig. at is a section at the line y y.

A portion of the carplatform is illustrated at A, and connected with the same or preferably with the longitudinal timbers running beneath the platform, are the brackets B which are bolted to the sides of the timbers and extend out beneath the front end of the platform sufficiently far for the reception of the pivot bearings 2 of the guard, and such brackets also extend downwardly and are pro: vided with the tubular spring holders 3, for the helical springs O.

The guard itself is formed of the top bar D, side bars E and front bar-F which are preferably tubular and connected together by bends 4 and Ts 5, and any suitable apron such as the interlaced wires G is connected at its edges with the respective side, top and bottom bars of the guard in any suitable manner, and it is advantageous to leave an opening in the apron adjacent to the coupling or connection between one car and another so Fig. 2 is anas to allow for the guard being swung up against the front of the platform and rail when the same is to be thrown out of use, and with this object in view a chain 6 may be provided extending loosely from the front railof the platform to the front bar F of the guard by which the driver can swing up the entire guard upon the pivot bearings 2 in which the top bar D of the guard turns. v

Upon the top bar D arms 7 are secured in the proper position by set screws or keys, and they extend down through slots in the top parts of the tubular spring holders 3, and they are provided with rounding lower ends within such spring holders to press against the helical springs C, and the parts are so adjusted that the strength of the springs C is sufficient to support the weight and lever age of the guard with the front edge of the guard at a suitable distance, say five or six inches, above the pavement in its normal condition.

In my Patent No. 520,233 a lever is represented to be acted upon by the knee of the driver or attendant, to throw the front edge of the guard downwardly to underrun a person or obstruction when necessary. I have modified this device in the following particulars: The lever H is pivoted below the platform at 8 and extends up through a slot in the platform, and the upper end is provided with a rest 9 against which the leg or knee of the driver can be pushed to give motion to the lever in throwing down the front edge of the guard, and from the lower end of the lever H a rod I extends forward and it is preferably made in two parts so as to vary its length, the parts being connected together by bolts 10, and the front endof this bar is pointed or tapering to pass into an eye 11 on the bottom end of an arm K that is secured to the top bar D of the guard by a screw or key, and there is upon the end of the rod I a collar 18 to prevent the rod passing beyond a certain point through the eye on the arm K, and the end of the rod I is also notched for a drop bolt 12 upon the arm K to which a chain 13 is connected to allow the driver to withdraw the bolt. It will now be understood that while the bolt is in position, the guard, the rod and the lever H all move together, and when the upper end of the lever H is pressed forward the front end of the guard is moved downwardly to a proportionate extent so as to bring the guard into action to underrun an obstruction, but in consequence of the bolt 12 engaging the end of the rod I, the guard could not be drawn up by its chain 6 because the back edge of the lever H rests against the end of themortise plate 14 upon the platform. Hence whenever the guard is to be drawn up, the driver first withdraws the bolt 12 by the chain 13 so as to disconnect the arm K from the rod I and allow the arm and guard to move together as the guard is swung up in front of the platform rail.

lVheels have in some instances been employed upon the guard to run upon the track, and in some instances rollers have been used at the front edge of the guard, but such rollers are liable to injure a person in consequence of their rigidity. To avoid this difiicultyI employ a roller L extending across the front end of the guard, and its journal is supported in eyes at the ends of the slide bars 16 and can move freely in such tubular side bars, and I provide springs 17 within such tubular side bars E acting against the slide bars 16 to force them and the roller L forward, but such springs 17 yield freely when the roller comes in contact with any obstruction. The slide bars 16 are slotted for the passage of the cross bolts or pins 20 that guide such bars 16, and against which the springs rest.

This is advantageous because it lessens the risk of injury to the roller by coming in contact with inequalities in the pavement when the guard maybe moved downwardly to bring the roller upon the pavement, and in addition to this, the roller yields when it comes into contact with a person who may be in front of the car, lessening the risk of personal injury by the concussion with the person of such roller, and the person falling upon the guard is sustained thereby with but little risk of personal injury. By these improvements the position and action of the guard are fully under the control of the motorrnan or driver and the guard is not liable to be injured or to injure a person by the guard coming into contact with such person.

It is advantageous to make each braoketB in two parts so that the plate portion 1 that is bolted to the car platform may also be bolted to the vertical portion of the bracket that unites the tubular spring holder 3 and the pivot bearingfZ, in order that the guard may be raised or lowered at its upper edge, the parts of the bracket having a row or rows of holes for the connecting bolts, whereby the relative positions of the parts maybe varied.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a guard having top, side and front bars, of brackets with bear ings receiving the top bar of the guard, a lever pivoted upon the platform and extending up so as to be acted upon by the leg of the driver, a rod connected with the lower end of the lever, an arm fastened upon the top bar of the guard and having an eye at the lower end for receiving the end of the rod, and a drop bolt engaging the rod for connecting the lever that is operated by the driver with the guard for moving down the front edge of the guard to underrun an object, the bolt allowing the arm to separate from the rod when the guard is swung up in front of the platform, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a guard having top, side and frontbars, of brackets with hearings receiving the top bar of the guard, a lever pivoted upon the platform and extending up so as to be acted upon by the leg of the driver, a rod connected with the lower end of the lever, an arm fastened upon the top bar of the guard and having an eye at the lower end for receiving the end of the rod, and a drop bolt engaging the rod for connecting the lever that is operated by the driver with the guard for moving down the front edge of the guard to undorrun an object, the bolt allowing the arm to separate from the rod when the guard is swung up in front of the platform, springs and an arm upon the top barof the guard for sustaining the weight and leverage of the guard in its normal position, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the guard having a top bar, of brackets with bearings in which such top bar is supported and may be turned, such brackets being in two parts bolted together and adjustable vertically, and springs and tubular spring holders on such brackets and arms upon the guard against which the springs act, substantially as specified.

Signed by me this 13th day of October, 1894:.

HENRY A. HOWE.

W i tn esses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, S. T. H AVILAND. 

